Candy Canes and Bananas with Black Peels
by DarkraixCresselia
Summary: "Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not. And yet someone else shared his opinion and so was misfit; this was, surprisingly, a Who named Winnie Dorothy Whit." How did a Who come to dislike Christmas? That is this story...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

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><p><em>Inside a snowflake, like the one on your sleeve,<br>There happened a story you must see to believe.  
>Way up in the mountains, in the high range of Pontoos,<br>Lay the small town of Whoville: the home of the Whos._

_Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot.  
>But the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not.<br>And yet someone else shared his opinion and so was misfit;  
>This was, surprisingly, a Who named Winnie Dorothy Whit.<em>

Winnie was indeed a Who, who didn't like Christmas as much as her fellow Whos. And this wasn't so much of a crime as it was a very rare, unnatural occurrence that most Whos, if not all, thought was the strangest thing since the day the Grinch first came to Whoville.

Winnie was sometimes considered strange by her Who peers of Whoville. She never "grew into her nose," and that was considered odd already. And her coming to hate Christmas, the most beloved holiday of Whos, caused her to become as much an outcast as the Grinch, whom she befriended as a child. She disappeared the day after Christmas, when she was nearing adulthood, and for years was never heard from.

But tabloids said she was spotted up in Mt. Crumpit, once with the Grinch, who was a somewhat-urban legend himself. But she wasn't with him as prisoner; they looked almost like roommates.

But why would she be up in Mt. Crumpit with the most disliked creature the Whos knew? And how did she become like him, hating Christmas?

That is a story you must read to believe…and it's time you've begun…

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><p>Winnie didn't originally live in Whoville. When she was a young Who, she and her parents lived in a large city a long ways away from Whoville called New Who City. They celebrated Christmas in a less "outrageous" manner than those in the smaller village of Whos and the larger city they called home. They picked out and decorated a Christmas tree, baked a big Christmas dinner, and each exchanged one gift for each other on Christmas morning, which gave Winnie and her parents two gifts each. They weren't poor, but they weren't rich either; they simply didn't waste money.<p>

Her aunt and uncle, and her two cousins as well, lived in New Who City, and her grandparents in Whoville. They always sent a card, wishing them a merry Christmas, and asked if they would ever visit Whoville and witness their Christmas festival: the Whobilation. Winnie's parents always declined, saying it was too far away, and money didn't grow on trees.

But her aunt disagreed. "It's only an hour's train ride away," She said one day, a week before Christmas. "And Robert and I could chip in a bit of money for tickets to Whoville. And Mum and Dad as well. Besides, it'll be good for Winnie, and you two as well, to have a nice Christmas vacation to a smaller town."

"Besides," Robert added. "I hear the Whobilation is something worth seeing once in a lifetime for Whos living outside of Whoville. Winnie will love it."

"And she hasn't seen Mum and Dad for so many years." Winnie's aunt, Angelina said.

After some more insistence, some from little Winnie herself, her parents, Rachel and Abraham, decided to do something that Christmas: visit Whoville.

With Robert and Angelina's help, they bought three train tickets, and on the evening before Christmas Eve, boarded a train for Whoville.

Winnie was jumping in her seat, eager for the train to take off. She was a darling girl, with red hair in two large twists on either side of her face, and gray eyes sparkling with innocence and glee. Brown freckles danced across her chubby cheeks and round nose. She was dressed in a green dress with red ruffles under her skirt and on her sleeves, and had a headband with a silver bow on top of her head. She had turned six years old just the previous month, and hadn't seen her grandparents for four years. So she was excited, to say the least.

"When's the train gonna go, Mama? When's the train gonna go, Papa" She asked repeatedly.

"It will go when it's ready, Winnie." Abraham chuckled, patting her head. "Practice patience."

Winnie knew the family motto by heart: practice patience, and things will come faster than you think. And when she found she was asking herself when something will happen, or urging something or someone to hurry up, she tried to remember to practice patience.

Finally, the train whistled loudly. Winnie covered her ears with a jump. Then, the train seemed to jump forward, pause, and finally roll out of the station. Squealing with joy, the young Who crawled to the window, sat up on her knees, and waved at the Whos on the station, giggling when they waved back.

"Winnie, sit down." Her mother urged her. "Or you may fall to the floor.

"Yes, Mama." Winnie nodded, sitting down next to Rachel, swinging her little legs over the edge of the seat, admiring her white socks and black Mary Janes. "Mama? When'll we get to Whoville?"

"In an hour, I'd wager." She said, checking her watch. "Which will be at about seven o'clock."

Winnie looked at her mother's watch, which was a minute past six o'clock. She didn't fully understand time yet, and so only knew that an hour was long. Sighing, she sat back and stared out the window, fascinated by the passing scenery. She found it interesting how trees that were closer to the train flew by in a blur, but the mountains in the distance barely moved at all. It was lightly snowing, yet she could barely see the flakes.

Christmas time was near, one of her favorite times of the year, next to her birthday and the first day of snow. She loved the snow, and doing snow-related activities at the park: making snowmen, having snowball fights with her kindergarten playmates, making snow angels, or simply walking in the snow with her parents. To her, winter was the most wonderful time of the year; plus, it housed one of her favorite holidays, which made it even better.

One hour, to adults, seemed fast, or at times like the snap of fingers. But to a child, it felt like a much longer time. When they hear it would take an hour to drive to a place, or an hour for a desert to bake, they would moan and mumble that it would take forever. And Winnie was no exception. All the way to Whoville, she asked her parents if they were there yet. Despite the family motto of practicing patience, her parents' patience was wearing thin. Abraham suggested Winnie take a nap to pass the time. Despite her insistence that she wasn't tired, she fell asleep in her mother's lap in due time.

It seemed like she barely closed her eyes when Rachel was shaking her awake. "Winnie, wake up," She said. "We're here."

"Where?" Winnie asked, rubbing her eyes. Then, she remembered why they were on the train; why she had been kicking her legs, pestering her parents, and napping for an hour's wait. She looked out the window, and saw the train had pulled into and stopped at a train station of another place. This place was much smaller than back at home, but was full of snow, Christmas decorations, and Whos of all ages and sizes.

"Hooray! We're in Whoville!" She jumped off of the seat and ran out the train, ignoring her parents' cries to stop. She jumped onto the platform, pushing past other leaving passengers, and gazed at the new place. Her gray eyes sparkled with joy, and she spun around to get a better view.

"You spin too much, and you'll get dizzy." An elderly voice said.

Stopping, Winnie looked to see two old Whos smiling down at her. "Hi." She said. "Who're you?"

"My name is Dorothy," The elderly woman said. "And this is my husband, Luka."

"What's your name, dear?" Luka asked.

"Winnie Dorothy Whit!" She heard her parents yell angrily. She spun around to see them approaching her quickly. "Don't ever run from us again! You could have been trampled or hurt!"

"Sorry, Mama and Papa." She pouted, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels.

"Thank goodness you caught her, Mum and Dad." Abraham sighed.

Dorothy crouched down to Winnie's eyelevel, smiling wider. "Remember us, Winnie? We're your grandma and grandpa."

Grinning widely with delight, she hugged her newly-discovered grandmother tightly. "Hi, Grandma! We came on a train!"

"We can see that," Her grandfather nodded. "Was it fun?"

"Yeah!" She nodded, turning to hug him. "It was fun, but it took foreeever to get here."

"Well, you're here now," Dorothy chuckled. "Welcome to Whoville. It's probably much smaller than what you're used to."

"It's not as busy or crowded." Rachel nodded.

"Wait 'till tomorrow," Luka sighed. "Then it's like a mini-New Who City."

"During the Whobilation?" Abraham asked.

"Precisely."

Abraham and Luka briefly left to pick up the luggage from the baggage car. "The car's this way." He led the group of five to a large car with a closed trunk and open roof. They put the luggage in the trunk of the car, and everyone piled in. "It won't take long to get home," Luka said, in the driver's seat. "We have a couple of guest rooms. So, just enjoy the scenery along the way."

All the way to her grandparents' house, which took twenty minutes, Winnie looked around with wide eyes, smiling ear-to-ear. "Winnie, don't turn your head so fast," Rachel cautioned. "You'll hurt your neck. We'll be here for a couple of days after Christmas, so you'll have plenty of time to explore."

"When you're old enough, you can move here if you'd like." Abraham added.

Winnie barely heard anything her parents said, but she did slow her head-turning down. The streets were filled with Whos shopping around and decorating poles and buildings, and chattering about the upcoming holiday. She waved at them, giggling when they waved back.

"Everyone here's friendly, huh?" Rachel smiled.

"Whos here'll say 'hello' to anyone, even a stranger." Dorothy said.

Winnie saw not only adults, but Who children her age and up, running up and down the sidewalks, laughing and talking with their friends. Some were just leaving Who school.

She blinked when she saw something peculiar: a Who child that looked about her age…or what looked like a Who child; he wore a school uniform like the other children, but had green skin, and darker green hair and fur on his entire body save for his face.

She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but he was gone by then. "Mama? I saw a green Who boy with green hair and fur."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "He may have been wearing green clothes—"

"No." Winnie shook her head. "His clothes weren't green. He was furry, like an animal."

"You're probably tired from the long journey." Abraham said.

"I am not!" She insisted.

"There _is_ a Who child like that, Abe," Luka said. "He was adopted by the spinster sisters, Rose and Clarnella. You may see them tomorrow, Winnie."

Winnie had been encouraged by her parents to make friends with children who "looked like they could use a friend." Because as they said, "No matter how old or young, everyone needs at least one friend." And she knew that kids who were deemed different were often picked on and friendless.

And she wondered if this particular Who child needed a friend.

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><p><strong>AN I was able to watch the live-action Grinch movie earlier this month, and I really liked it. It added a lot to a Christmas cartoon/story I really enjoyed when I was little (and still do) including an interesting backstory for the title character, and a lot of funny moments, courtesy of Jim Carrey (who is now one of my favorite actors)**

**And as per "tradition," I came up with an OC for the movie (though she doesn't necessarily have to be tied to the live-action movie) I originally wasn't really planning on writing a Grinch fanfic, especially since Christmas is over, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. Plus, while I did post a pic of her on DeviantART, I also enjoy writing fanfics to tell the OCs stories (even if they're inserted into the canon movie...is that getting old?)**

**So, the idea of a Who also disliking Christmas probably isn't the most original idea, but it's not very common either, as far as I can tell. I think I can get away with that vague concept as long as I make the character both interesting and unique. And I think she's going to be very unique later on ;) I think I originally thought of the name Winnie because it started with W, like "Who," and I think it's a nice name. Her middle and surname was suggested by a person on DA by the name of NightWolf1159 (thanks very much for the suggestion, if you're reading this ;)) There haven't been other suggestions, and it's really grown on me; plus it was pretty easy for me to make the rhyme talking about her disliking Christmas and thus being a misfit :3**

**Speaking of rhymes, I definitely don't have the same imagination as the good doctor did when he wrote his stories, and the only poetry I can really do is rhymes...which seems to be what Dr. Seuss did. But I tried to make the aforementioned line sound like something he would write. A lot of the live-action movie, if you didn't know, added a lot of convincing rhymes to the story (I actually had to look up whether Whoville was on a snowflake in the original story) Also, the narrator for the story? That was Anthony Hopkins, aka the infamous Hannibal Lector, or Hannibal the Cannibal as I call him.**

**Also, if there happen to be any rhymes in this story, I didn't do them on purpose. But feel free to point out any if you find them; maybe I'll set up a counter for accidentally-rhyming sentences that could have potentially made even Dr. Seuss proud.**

**The title was hard to come up with for this fanfic, and while I do like it, it doesn't seem quite right. But unless I come up with something else later, it'll do. It might grow on me eventually (I wasn't too fond of "Toxic Wings" for my _A Bug's Life_ fanfic originally, but now I can't think of titling it anything else)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

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><p>Winnie woke up bright and early on Christmas Eve. At first, she didn't recognize where she was, and got nervous. But then she remembered she was visiting her grandparents in Whoville for Christmas and the Whobilation.<p>

Smiling widely, she jumped out of bed and ran into the guest bedroom next door, where her parents were asleep. "Mama! Papa! Wake up! The Whob'lation's today!" She yelled, jumping onto the bed.

Groaning, Rachel propped herself up on one elbow, and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "Winnie," She yawned. "It's barely six o'clock in the morning. The Whobilation doesn't start until much later."

"Everyone else in town's probably still asleep." Abraham added, stretching his arms briefly.

"Oh…whoopsie." Winnie smiled sheepishly. She climbed off of the bed. "Sorry."

"Go bug your grandmother, scamp." Her father chuckled, pulling the covers back up. "She's probably getting up about now. She likes getting up early."

Nodding, Winnie trotted out of the guestroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen. It was small, but it had a stove/oven, two countertops, a sink, and a refrigerator all the same. Cabinets were on the wall, some with glass windows revealing cutlery and dishes inside.

The dining room was quite a bit bigger, with a large table surrounded by several chairs. A large window divided into three smaller ones was on the wall behind the table and chairs, revealing Whoville was still dark and quiet.

Winnie's grandmother, Dorothy, was standing at one countertop, wearing a red bathrobe with white trim, and using a small machine with a cup underneath. The small Who recognized the smell as coffee, which her father enjoyed drinking at breakfast.

"Winnie? What are you doing up?" Dorothy asked.

"I was excited about the Whob'lation, but Mama said it doesn't start yet." She explained.

"No, it starts much later. Most of Whoville isn't even awake yet."

"Papa said that too. He said you were awake though."

"I enjoy getting up early." Dorothy sighed, taking her steaming coffee cup out of the coffee machine. "There's something about the feeling of being awake while the rest of the world seems still asleep. Your grandfather, however, sleeps like a log." She winked, making Winnie laugh. "But he always wakes up to the sound of purpleberry pancakes."

"I like pancakes."

"Well, we'll have to make some for breakfast then, won't we?"

Winnie nodded eagerly. Rachel always made purpleberry pancakes every Sunday for breakfast, though she also made them on Christmas Eve and Day regardless if the day was Sunday or not. So she was eager to have pancakes courtesy of her grandmother.

After a while, with the help of her six-year-old granddaughter, Dorothy made plenty of pancakes for the entire family of five. As promised, Luka stumbled into the kitchen. "I smell purpleberry pancakes." He yawned.

"Hi, Grandpa!" Winnie greeted, teeth purple with purpleberry juice.

"Morning, Winnie," He smiled. "What're you doing up so early?"

"I'm really excited about the Whob'lation, but Mama and Papa say it's too early for it." She blushed.

"That's right, it's not until much later. Practice patience, and it'll be here in no time."

"Papa says that a lot." She giggled.

"It's the Whit family motto, after all."

Soon enough, Rachel and Abraham stepped downstairs, attracted by the smell of freshly-baked purpleberry pancakes. Winnie talked about how she helped put the purpleberries in, and even got to eat some. "They're yummy, aren't they?" Her father asked. "I used to sneak them when your grandmother made them for breakfast when she wasn't looking."

"I let you get away with it." Dorothy insisted. "You're not as sneaky as you thought you were."

"You keep saying that, Ma. You'll believe it someday." He smirked, sipping his coffee.

"Mama? When's the Whob'lation?"

"Let's see, it's seven AM right now, and it starts at six PM. So, in eleven hours."

"Aww, that'll take forever." Winnie sighed, drinking her milk.

"You know, Winnie," Dorothy said, tapping her chin in thought. "Your grandpa and I do need to do some shopping later today. And we always eat at Terri's Terrific Tacos."

"What're tacos?"

"They're food that consists of a flat piece of bread wrapped around meat, lettuce, and tomatoes. They sometimes have sauces, but they tend to be spicy." Luka explained. "So, it's like a sandwich, but there's only one piece of bread, it's flat, and it's sort of folded around the food."

"How would you like to come with your grandfather and I to town?"

"Can I, Mama and Papa?" Winnie asked.

"Certainly." Rachel nodded. "You can get to know your grandparents better, since you were two years old the last time you saw them."

"And it'll keep you busy until the Whobilation." Abraham added.

"Yaay!" She cheered, clapping her hands.

"Finish your breakfast, Winnie," Her mother said. "And then get dressed and brush your teeth. Your grandmother will tell you when it's time to go."

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><p><em>She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and pulled on her coat of brown,<br>She hurried, for she was eager to accompany her grandparents to town.  
>While she waited, she couldn't stop talking about the Whobilation,<br>The upcoming big Christmas celebration._

Finally, at about nine o'clock, Dorothy called, "Winnie, are you ready to go?

"Yes!" She jumped up from sitting on the floor, coloring crudely in a coloring book, and ran towards the front door.

"Winnie! Pick up your crayons!" Rachel yelled, not looking up from her magazine.

Winnie ran back, grabbed her crayons, and tossed them in the tin box they resided in prior to her coloring activities. Then, she ran back to her grandparents, who were holding her coat for her. "Slow down, speedster," Luca chuckled. "Whoville's not gonna disappear on us."

"We're going to be walking today, Winnie." Dorothy said, holding the little Who's hand. "It's good exercise, and we'll be able to see more of Whoville as well."

"Okay." She nodded, taking Luca's hand as well.

As they walked down the street, Winnie looked around, smiling widely. Whoville was just as pretty in the daytime as it was at night. The lights weren't as impressive, but there were still plenty of decorations to behold. And dozens of Whos walking and jumping around, shopping and decorating. It wasn't as busy as it was at home, but it was busy.

And she couldn't wait for the Whobilation.

She and her grandparents went to the grocery store mostly, but then stopped at Terri's Terrific Tacos for lunch. Winnie tried her first taco, and loved it. "I'm gonna ask Mama if there're tacos in New Who City." She said.

"You live in New Who City?"

She turned to look at who asked. It was a Who girl about her age, with pretty light-brown hair, blue eyes, and a green and red dress. She was with an adult Who, which Winnie assumed were her mother.

"Uh-huh." She nodded. "My mama and papa and I are in Whoville visiting Grandma and Grandpa."

The Who girl looked her up and down a bit skeptical. "Where's your fancy pretty dress?"

Winnie looked down at herself, confused. Her dress was a simple red dress with green bows on the shoulders. "This _is_ my pretty dress." She said, somewhat hurt.

"Martha, be nice." The Who woman said. "I'm sorry about her, her father said that people from New Who City were rich and had fancy clothes. Afternoon, Dorothy and Luca."

"Afternoon, Nancy," Dorothy nodded. "This is our granddaughter, Winnie."

"Winnie, this is Martha May Whovier." Luca said.

Martha waved hello, smiling widely. "How long are you staying?"

"Mama said we're staying for a few days after Christmas." She answered.

"Are you gonna be at the Whobilation?"

Winnie nodded eagerly. "I can't wait!"

"Me neither! It's the best time of the year."

"Martha, let's continue our shopping. Good day, Dorothy and Luca." Nancy left, followed by Martha."

"Grandma? Is my dress not fancy or pretty?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's fancy or not, sugarplum." Dorothy smiled. "And it's very pretty."

"Don't let what Martha said hurt you. It doesn't matter what other people think."

"I got this dress for Christmas last year." Winnie said, drinking the last of her hot coco. "And I also got my crayons last year."

"They sound like lovely gifts." Her grandmother nodded. "And are you satisfied with them?"

Winnie cocked her head in confusion. "What she means, Winnie, is that you should be grateful for everything, even if you get something small." Luca explained. "There are people who are unable to get any Christmas presents at all."

"Are they bad?"

"No, they just don't have enough money. Sometimes they're only able to spend Christmas with their families, yet they're perfectly happy."

"What we're trying to say, Winnie, is to be thankful for everything, small or big." Dorothy said. "Appreciate the small things in life. It could be worse."

Winnie nodded. She didn't know the full effect of her grandmother's words at six years old. But years later, when her grandparents would repeat those words, and she would think more on them, she knew they were right: be grateful for everything you have and/or get, whether it's a big house, or a humble little present.

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><p><strong>AN Sorry that I'm not updating this as much as my Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic. That fanfic's in a position where it could be a fanfic or original story, and I'm trying to get into "familiar territory," whereas this fanfic knows it's in a Grinch universe, with the main character being in Whoville.**

**It's kinda hard writing Winnie as a six-year-old, since I don't remember much from my own life at six years old, and am not around my cousin who's about the same age all of the time. But I DO remember being impatient sometimes, and waking up early to go somewhere fun (mostly the zoo or museum)**

**I might not create rhyming verses all of the time, since poetry is a hard subject for me. But I'll try and put them in sparingly, as well as canon ones for the movie.**

**As a warning, I didn't really think much of Martha May Whovier in the Grinch movie. It's not because she's a canon love interest for our favorite Christmas grouch, but because she just rubs me the wrong way; especially when she was eight years old, acting like a teenager who wants to get the attention of the local school hot boy. I kinda feel like her "attraction" to the Grinch, especially as an adult, was shoehorned in (if that's the right term) She hadn't seen him for at least two decades, and for all we know, she only interacted with him one or two times in school, including what we saw in the film. Before I go into a big rant, I'm just gonna say this: I don't really like Martha much, but I'll TRY (emphasis on "try") not to make her a big enemy in this fanfic...unless you guys don't care XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

**The Tell-Tale Man: Thanks :)**

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><p>Winnie kicked her hanging legs as she sat in a chair, flipping through a storybook. When she and her grandparents returned home, it was only a few hours until the Whobilation. And she could hardly wait.<p>

If the trip from New Who City to Whoville took one hour, then she was in for a long wait.

She didn't want to color in her book again, so Dorothy found some old books her granddaughter's father read when he was her age, and gave them to Winnie to read.

While she read the books, her mind went back to the green Who boy she saw yesterday. He looked about her age, and was covered in green fur, reminding her of the mythical creature, Bigfoot, her uncle Robert talked about.

Luka told Winnie that she might see the boy during the Whobilation. She was quite curious about him, and so became more excited about the Whobilation than ever before.

Finally, Rachel stepped into Winnie's guestroom, where she was reading. "Winnie? Are you ready to go to the Whobilation?"

Her gray eyes sparkled in delight. "Yippee!" She tossed her book onto her bed and ran out the door past her mother.

"Slow down!" Rachel called back, chuckling slightly.

Winnie slowed down at the door, grabbed her coat, and pulled it on. Abraham, Luka, and Dorothy joined her and her mother and pulled on their coats as well. "Excited?" Dorothy chuckled.

"Yeah!" She nodded. "I can't wait!"

"We'll be walking so we can see all of the decorations." Luka said. "So, bundle up."

Abraham pulled Winnie's hat on over her head, and Rachel wrapped a red and green-striped scarf around her neck. She pulled the scarf down so her mouth was visible, and pulled on her black boots. She went outside, gasping at the bright Christmas lights and beautiful decorations.

"Mama! Papa! It's so pretty!" She exclaimed as her parents and grandparents came outside as well.

"Oh, my!" Rachel said. "It's beautiful!"

"And crowded." Abraham sighed. "You were right, Dad. It's like a mini-New Who City."

"Let's go!" Winnie skipped down the sidewalk, slowing down when her parents told her to do so. She spun around every now and then to gaze at the whole festival.

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><p>There were several games, like a potato sack race, contests, like the best pudding, fruitcake, and fudge, and the Christmas Slow Dance, which Winnie wasn't really interested in. There were young kids running around, having all kinds of fun.<p>

Winnie loved the whole thing. It was a new experience, and it was a lot of fun.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the green Who boy she saw yesterday, standing with two elderly Who women. "Mama," She said, tugging her mother's coat sleeve. "That's the Who boy I saw yesterday."

"Don't point, Winnie. It's impolite."

"But it's the—"

"I see him." Rachel nodded. She saw how the boy glanced at the other Who children with boredom, yet loneliness. Smiling, she crouched by Winnie and said, "How about you go and say hi. He looks awful lonesome."

Nodding, she skipped up to the boy, who jumped upon seeing her. "Hi." She smiled widely. "My name's Winnie. What's yours?"

The boy cocked his head, suspicious that this girl walked up and said "hi" to him all on her own. He looked her up and down; she was a slightly-chubby girl, who was wearing a blue coat and red and green-striped scarf over a simple red dress with green bows on the sleeves, white socks, and black boots. Her red hair was slightly curled; she had wide gray eyes, freckles, and a friendly smile.

"Dear, the nice girl asked you your name." One of the elderly women said, nudging the boy.

Sighing, he said in a small voice, "Grinch."

Winnie copied his cocked head expression. "Your name's Grinch? That's a funny name…I like it." She giggled. "Are these your mamas?"

Still looking slightly-confused, he nodded. "We've never seen you before, Winnie." The other women said. "Do you live here?"

"Uh-uh. My mama and papa and I live in New Who City. We're visiting Grandpa and Grandma for Christmas and the Whob'lation."

"What are your grandparents' names?"

"Luka and Dorothy."

As she said this, Winnie's parents and grandparents joined her. "Who's your new friend, Winnie?" Abraham asked.

"Grinch." She smiled. "And these are his mamas."

"Evening, ladies." Her father nodded politely. "You've already met Winnie. I am Abraham Whit. This is my wife, Rachel. My parents are Luka and Dorothy Whit."

"Ah, your parents told us you were coming." One of Grinch's mothers said. "My name is Rose, and this is my sister, Clarnella. And this is our adopted son, Grinch."

"Your grandparents told us about you, Winnie. We didn't think you'd be such a darling little girl." Clarnella cooed, pinching Winnie's cheeks.

The six-year-old let the elderly women abuse her face, but when she let her go, she rubbed her cheeks, scowling lightly. Grinch snickered, shrugging.

"You know, dear," Rose said. "The stores are selling candy to the kids for half the price tonight. Do you like candy, Winnie?"

"Yes." She nodded eagerly.

"Would you and Grinch like to go get some candy for yourselves?"

"Can we, Mama?"

"It's all right with me." Rachel said. Abraham nodded in agreement, handing the Who girl some money. "Just don't get lost, and don't take too long."

"Come back when the big hand points to the six, and the little hand points to the eight on the big clock." Luka said.

"Okay." Winnie nodded, skipping along the sidewalk. Glancing at his mothers, Grinch followed her.

He was still a bit puzzled by this girl. He wasn't the most popular boy in his school, and he didn't have any friends. So, it came as a shock when this girl came out of nowhere, saying hi and asking him his name. And she even liked his name. It was peculiar that she didn't care that he was green and had fur. She was treating him like a regular Who boy.

"Do you live in Whoville?" She asked.

He nodded. "You said you live in New Who City?"

"Uh-huh. My mama and papa and I are visiting for—"

"You said that already."

"Oh yeah." She laughed. "Do you like Christmas?"

Grinch shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess?" She blinked in surprise. Then, she changed the subject, "What candy do you like?"

"…Fudge, I suppose?"

"Neat. I like candy canes. How old are you?"

"Six."

"Me too." They walked into the candy store. It was filled with all sorts of candies, and smelled like peppermint and chocolate.

"Hi, kids." The store owner, an elderly man, smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Can we have some candy?" Winnie asked.

"You certainly can. We've got all kinds here. What would you like?"

"I want a candy cane, please." She turned to Grinch. "What candy do you want?"

"Um…a bag of fudge balls."

The candy store owner grabbed a large candy cane, and a small bag of large marble-sized fudge balls. Winnie handed the man the money her father gave her, five dollars in total. "Is this enough?"

"It certainly is." He took out a few pennies in change, and gave them, and the candy, to Winnie. "You kids enjoy. And have a merry Christmas."

"Thank you." Winnie waved as she and Grinch exited the store. She handed him the bag of fudge balls, and untied the green ribbon from around her candy cane. "Have you ever had a candy cane?"

"No." Grinch shook his head, eating a fudge ball.

She broke her cane in half, and held out the curved half to her new friend. "Have it. It's good."

Glancing between her face and the candy, Grinch took the broken candy cane. "I guess you want some fudge balls?"

"I guess." She shrugged. "Just one, please?"

Grinch took a fudge ball out of the bag and gave it to Winnie. They walked down the sidewalk back to their parents, eating their respective candy, including the candy they shared. "I like fudge balls now." Winnie decided, licking the chocolate off of her lips.

"I like candy canes now." Grinch said, grinning slightly.

"Hey, look!" An obnoxious voice shouted from behind the two Who children. Grinch flinched heavily, scowling darkly. "It's the green fuzz."

Winnie turned to see two Who boys, both of which looked about her age. The one who had evidently shouted was a round boy with two funny tiny buns on the top of his head in his hair.

"Who's the girl though?" His friend, a skinny Who boy, asked. "I don't recognize her."

"Yeah, who're you?"

"I'm Winnie." She answered. "Who're you?"

"You don't know me?" The round boy scoffed. "I'm Augustus May-Who! My father's the mayor of Whoville."

"Oh."

"'Oh?' Don't you live here?"

"No. I live in New Who City."

"You don't look like it. Why're you with the Grinch?"

"Why not?" Winnie asked, confused. "He's my new friend."

Grinch turned to her, mildly surprised, and perhaps a bit joyed. Augustus and his friend, however, laughed. "You're his friend? Yeah, right! Who'd want to be friends with him? He's nothing but a misfit."

"Maybe she's a misfit too," The other Who boy suggested.

"Yeah, you're right, Whobris. Just listen to her name: 'Winnie.' That's what a horse says, Horsey."

"My name's not Horsey!" Winnie yelled, stomping her foot. "It's Winnie, Disgustus!"

Grinch laughed at the nickname, not stopping even when Augustus glared at him. "You shut up, you stupid girl!" The round Who boy grabbed her candy cane, threw it on the ground, and stomped it into small pieces. Then, he stomped back up the sidewalk, with Whobris trotting after him.

Grinch stopped laughing when Augustus took and destroyed Winnie's candy, eyes wide in astonishment. He turned to Winnie, whose eyes were welling up with tears. Sniffling, she turned and ran the direction they were going originally, calling out for her mama.

Feeling strange, Grinch followed after her. He found her hugging her mother, crying and telling her what had happened. "He-he insulted Grinch, an-and called me 'Horsey,' and then stomped on my candy cane!" She sobbed.

"Augustus May-Who, you said?" Luka asked. "I know he's the mayor's son. I heard he's somewhat of a bully."

"Grinch tells us he picks on him at school." Rose tsked. "I'm sorry he ruined your fun, Winnie dear."

Grinch just stared at Winnie, who still had tears running down her face. He felt guilty that she had been hurt, and lost her candy. He felt like it was his fault. He may be a bit of a brat himself, but he still felt bad for his new friend.

He set his bag of fudge balls on the ground, broke his candy cane half in half, and held it out to Winnie. "Here, Winnie. You can have this."

Sniffling, Winnie looked at the candy, and at Grinch. "R-really?"

"Uh-huh. I'm sorry you lost your candy."

Winnie pulled herself out of her mother's arms, and took the candy from the green Who boy's furry hand. Then, she shocked him by grabbing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Grinch. You're much nicer than Disgustus."

He was frozen when she hugged him, but relaxed, hugging her back, and laughed again at the nickname.

"'Disgustus'? Did you call him that, Winnie?" Abraham asked, raising an eyebrow.

Stepping away from her new friend, Winnie nodded sheepishly, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I did it because he called me 'Horsey.'"

"Sweetie, you shouldn't call other people names." Dorothy said. "You'll be stooping to other people's levels. You don't want that."

"I don't?"

"No. If other kids call you names, just ignore them."

"Okay." She nodded, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I think it's about time to go home." Rachel chuckled, lifting her daughter into her arms. "Someone seems tired."

"Do we gotta?"

"Yes, we 'have to.' If you don't go to sleep, Santa won't bring any presents."

Winnie nodded, and then smiled at Grinch. "Merry Christmas, Grinch."

He nodded, wishing her a merry Christmas as well as she and her parents and grandparents left. He felt a little warm inside, knowing he had made a new friend tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Kind of a long chapter, this one...I sound like Yoda XD**

**Sorry that I didn't describe the Whobilation in greater detail. I don't know too much about it, other than it has the mentioned game and contests (it didn't have the slow dance, I added that in myself) And since it's so long now, I didn't quite want to make it any longer.**

**Now we've met the Grinch as a child :3 I hope I didn't make him too OOC, especially at the end of this chapter. From what we've seen in the movie, he seemed like a brat, but wasn't particularly nasty; he was just very mischievous (and didn't think too much of Christmas, though not as much when he's an adult) I figured he'd also be quite lonely, since he didn't seem popular in school. So, he'd be a bit confused that Winnie willingly and eagerly befriended him.**

**As you can see, I don't like the Whoville mayor. He was a particularly nasty character (one of those characters made to be hated, I suppose) and is a prime example of "once-a-bully-always-a-bully." And since Winnie's name is a homophone of whinny, the sound a horse makes, he would pick on her for that. She was also in the wrong for calling him a name though, but you gotta admit Disgustus is a funny and awesome nasty name XD**

**The next chapter's gonna have several time-jumps; the chapter after that will more than likely have the "Christmas classroom incident." Those who've seen the movie know what I mean...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

**Mocarela: The mayor's "soon to be fiancé" girl is Martha May Whovier XD**

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><p>For the short three days after Christmas, Winnie had the most fun of her life. She spent almost every minute with her grandparents, who told her all sorts of interesting stories, and even taught her Russian words, since it was the language they spoke before English. The accent was faint, but it was there.<p>

And while she got to know her grandparents, Winnie also got to know her new friend, Grinch. The day after Christmas, she asked Dorothy and Luka where he and his mothers lived. "I wanna go visit him." She explained, glancing at Rachel and Abraham with pleading eyes.

"Well…if it means that much, I suppose you can go." Her father sighed. His wife nodded in agreement.

"I'll call up Rose and Clarnella," Dorothy said, picking up the phone. "And see if we can go visit for a while."

Luckily, Rose, who was the one on the phone, agreed eagerly to have Winnie visit. "The boy needs a friend. He doesn't get the right attention in school, so Winnie is a breath of fresh air for him."

That afternoon, after lunch, Dorothy walked Winnie to the spinster sisters' house. Grinch was very surprised to see Winnie, but warmed up to her when he realized it wasn't a fluke, and that she wanted, indeed, to be his friend.

Winnie didn't care that he was covered in green fur, or even that he didn't like Christmas as much as "normal" Who children. She liked him for himself. And he was beginning to like her as well.

Unfortunately, the three days passed quickly. On the third night, Grinch, Rose, and Clarnella were at Dorothy and Luka's house when Rachel and Abraham dropped the bomb, so to speak. "Winnie? Tomorrow we leave on the train for New Who City."

"Already?" She whined, tears welling in her eyes. "We can't stay a little longer?"

"Don't you miss home?" Abraham asked gently.

"Yeah…but I'll miss Grandma, and Grandpa, and Grinch."

Although he didn't admit it, Grinch knew he would miss his first friend too.

"You can come back next Christmas, if you'd like, dear." Dorothy smiled. "Or in the summertime, maybe."

"Who knows," Clarnella shrugged. "Perhaps when you're all grown up, you can move to our little town."

"Yeah!" Winnie nodded eagerly. "I wanna move to Whoville when I'm grown up!"

"That's a big decision—"

"Let her be, son." Luka chided Abraham. "She's a smart child. She knows what she wants. Maybe someday she _will_ move here. It's a nice neighborhood."

Early the next morning, the Whit family exchanged tearful hugs and goodbyes to family and friends alike. "I'll really miss you, Grinch." Winnie sniffled, hugging her furry friend.

He hugged her back, pretending to not notice the tears budding in his yellow and blue eyes. "Yeah, I'll miss you too." He whispered.

"Maybe we'll come back next Christmas."

"You…you won't forget me?" He asked hopefully as the hug ended.

"No way!" She shook her head, smiling. "I can't forget you…you won't forget _me_, will you?"

"Nope." He grinned.

"Winnie, it's time to go." Rachel said, taking her daughter's hand.

"And this time, stay on the train until we say so." Her father said, stepping onboard. He and Luka had already piled the suitcases into the luggage car.

"Bye-bye!" Winnie yelled, waving to her grandparents and newfound friend. She waved again when she took her seat by the window. She smiled when they waved back. As the train began pulling out of the station, she craned her neck to look back until all of Whoville disappeared in the churned-up snow.

_Winnie never did forget those five days in Whoville for a minute.  
>She didn't forget the Whobilation, or her grandparents, or Grinch. Not one little bit.<br>She kept those precious memories close to her heart.  
>But after those five days, the hard parts of her life began to start.<em>

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><p><em>One year and three months later…<em>

Another Christmas came and went in Whoville. Another Whobilation came and went as well, but Grinch's new friend, Winnie, didn't come again. He wondered if she didn't want to come again. When he asked Rose and Clarnella this, they pointed out that the little Who girl had been extremely excited to come to Whoville and attend the Whobilation, and was very happy to have Grinch. "Perhaps something came up?" Rose suggested.

Then, one Friday in March, Rose and Clarnella pulled Grinch aside after school. "We have some news, dear: Winnie is moving to Whoville to live with her grandparents tomorrow."

He smiled widely, feeling excited that not only he would see his new friend, but she lived in the same town as he. But something was off. "Why aren't her parents coming too?"

The sisters glanced at each other with forlorn expressions. "Her grandparents told us that…last December, a few days before Christmas, there was an accident by a mountain outside of New Who City." Rose explained. "Winnie and her parents were picnicking nearby…and there was an avalanche. Winnie was okay…but her parents didn't make it."

Grinch remained silent for several seconds. This explained why they didn't come to Whoville for Christmas. "Why didn't she come sooner?"

"Funerals—events where family and friends remember people who died—take time to plan." Clarnella replied. "And it also took some time before it was decided Winnie would live with her grandparents. They had to fill out grownup papers and prepare to move."

"Can we go visit her?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea, dear." Rose shook her head. "Winnie needs time to settle in, and she's probably still mourning over her parents."

"You'll see her in school though."

* * *

><p>On Monday, the elementary school teacher, Ms. Ruewho, announced something at the beginning of the class. "We have a new student who moved into Whoville just two days ago." She beckoned at the door with a hand.<p>

A slightly-chubby redhead Who girl walked in shyly. She wore a blue sweatshirt, dark-blue jeans, and black boots. She had red hair that went past her shoulders, gray eyes, and freckles across her upturned nose.

Grinch immediately recognized her, and waved, "Hi, Winnie!"

The other students glared at him, but he took no notice.

Winnie smiled and waved back, evidently recognizing her friend, despite having not seen him for over a year.

"As Mr. Grinch told us, this is Winnie Whit. She's just moved in with her grandparents from New Who City. I want you all to treat her like any other student." She nudged Winnie, silently telling her to take a seat.

The only empty seat was to the left of the Grinch. The other students watched, wondering if Winnie would get upset about the seating arrangement, and if she would ask to sit somewhere else.

Instead, to everyone's surprise, she walked to the chair and sat down, smiling again at the Grinch like he was a normal Who child.

Grinch was itching to talk to Winnie. But every time he tried to talk to her, a student would hiss at him to be quiet, or Ms. Ruewho would tell Grinch that the children could talk during recess or lunch.

Finally, lunch came. Once Grinch found Winnie, he hurried over to sit by her. They had both brought their lunches to school that day. Winnie had a sealed cup of milk, a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato, and a cinnamon and sugar cookie. Grinch had an onion and cheese sandwich, a bottle of water, and a slightly-old banana. "Hi, Winnie…you didn't forget me, did you?" He asked.

"Nope." She shook her head, smiling. "Like I said, I can't ever forget you. I'm glad you didn't forget me."

"I'm sorry about your mom and dad." He said.

"Thanks." She answered quietly, hiding her face as she drank her milk.

"My moms said it was an av…an avalang…an avalanche."

"Mm-hmm. A lot of snow fell down the mountain…Mama and Papa were buried…"

Feeling a little guilty, Grinch changed the subject. "You said you wanted to move to Whoville when you grew up. Now you don't have to wait."

"Yeah." Winnie nodded, looking happy about the subject change. "It's nice even without the Christmas decorations. I'm sorry I didn't come to the Whobilation."

"It's okay. It wasn't exciting anyway."

Winnie smiled slightly at her friend, knowing he was both being honest—she remembered he didn't think much of Christmas—and was trying to be nice. But she didn't mind. She was happy to see her friend again after so long.

During recess later, the two Who kids climbed on what looked like a jungle gym and treehouse hybrid to talk and play together. "Is Disgustus still picking on you?" Winnie asked.

Snickering in remembrance to the nickname she gave Augustus. "Yeah, he is. He thinks he's the best kid in Whoville just because his dad's the mayor! Big deal!"

"He's just a mean bully." Winnie scowled, wrinkling her nose. "I wonder if he recognizes _me_."

"Hey, Horsey!"

"I think he does." Grinch deadpanned. They both looked down to see Augustus and Whobris standing at the edge of the jungle gym treehouse hybrid, which Winnie dubbed the jungle-house. "I thought you lived in New Who City," Augustus yelled. "Why'd you come to live here?"

"None of your business, Disgustus." Grinch sneered.

"He asked the girl, dummy," Whobris said. "Not you."

Winnie pulled a straw she saved from her lunch out of her pocket, and ripped a small piece of paper out of her notebook from her other pocket. She balled up the paper, held it in her mouth for a couple of seconds, and put the wet ball in the straw. Winking at Grinch, she held the other end of the straw in her mouth, aimed it at Augustus, who was too busy taunting her friend, and blew through the straw as hard as she could.

The wet ball of paper flew out of the straw and hit the fat Who kid in the shoulder. "What was that?!" He exclaimed.

"I dunno." Whobris shrugged.

Winnie lay back on her back, giggling. As soon as Augustus and Whobris left, Grinch asked what she had done. "It's a spitball. One of my cousins taught it to me last summer. You need some paper and a straw." She showed him how she balled up another ripped piece of paper and wet it in her mouth. "Then, you put it in the straw, and blow as hard as you can."

Grinch took the straw, aimed at Augustus, who was on the other side of the small playground, and blew hard. This time, it hit him in the back of the head. He jumped and spun around, looking extremely confused.

Winnie and Grinch laughed, rolling around in the small jungle-house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Sorry that Winnie spending more time in Whoville and visiting the Grinch weren't more detailed. I also forgot to give her grandparents soft Russian accents. Should I go back and edit them? I'm not even 100% sure how to write a Russian accent (which will be a problem, because adult!Winnie's Russian accent thickens when she gets angry)**

**Originally, after my little rhyming verse, it was going to show what's going on with Winnie after she gets back from New Who City. But I had a better idea: time-jump (since I said I was going to do so) to when she moves into Whoville. It's not when she's an adult though.**

**I feel like I give a lot of my characters tragic pasts. It's kinda cliche, I know, but giving them normal pasts is kind of...boring, in my opinion.**

**I figured even as a kid, Grinch liked foods that were deemed unlikable or even gross. After all, it was shown in the movie that he enjoyed eating onions like apples, and greasy, black banana peels. Why they decided to do that, I don't know. I know the song compared him to at least two disgusting foods (BTW, is arsenic sauce a real thing? If so, how does it taste?) It's not like he ate them. Either way, I thought he might like an onion and cheese sandwich. I myself prefer what Winnie's having (I LOVE grilled cheese!)**

**As you can see, Winnie's kind of a troublemaker herself. But she doesn't play pranks on all of the schoolkids, just ones she doesn't like (Augustus mostly) I thought it'd be interesting and cute that it was Winnie who taught Grinch how to use spitballs, since we saw him using it at least once in the movie.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

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><p>Over the next nine months, Grinch and Winnie became very close friends. The young Who girl always had a story or two to tell her grandparents about the fun she and her best friend had. She told them how she taught him how to use spitballs, and they used them on Augustus—she made sure to avoid using her preferred nickname for the bully.<p>

"Winnie, you shouldn't stoop to the bully's level." Luca said sternly.

"But you shouldn't not fight back if you're hurt either." Dorothy added. "It's like my father said: if someone hits you, hit them back."

"Just be careful if you decide to do that."

At the time, Winnie didn't quite understand what her grandfather meant by "being careful" if she decided to hit someone back. But then one day in school, during recess, she was sitting under the jungle-house, reading a book. Grinch was climbing in the bars of the jungle-house, making monkey sounds every now and then, and hanging upside down by his legs.

Augustus and some other Who boys were kicking a ball around, when one boy kicked the ball in Winnie's direction. It bounced off of her forehead, making her head fall back against a bar on the jungle-house.

"Oops, sorry." The boy snickered, not sounding sorry at all, as Winnie rubbed the back of her head, scowling.

She stood up, picked up and dusted off her book, and kicked the ball back as hard as she could. It managed to hit the boy in the stomach. "See how _you_ like it!" She sneered, sticking her tongue out.

Scowling, Augustus grabbed up the ball and bounced it hard on the sidewalk towards Winnie again. It hit her hard in the face this time, succeeding in knocking her to the ground. "See how _you_ like it, Horsey!"

When he heard his best friend cry, and saw her hold her nose in pain, Grinch jumped to the ground, stomped over to Augustus, and punched him in the face. "Stop hitting her with the ball!" He yelled, kicking it away. It bounced up and over the fence of the schoolyard.

"Now look what you did, you stupid!" One of Augustus's friends snapped.

Grinch wasn't listening as he helped Winnie to her feet. "I t'ink he broke m'by nose." She muttered, removing one hand, only to see a few spots of blood. "I gotta go to de nurse." She ran inside, ignoring the laughs behind her at her nasally speech.

As it turned out, Winnie's nose wasn't broken. She only got a nosebleed, and a bad bruise. But she was still sore that she got hurt twice by the boys and their ball. When she got home and told her grandparents about it, Dorothy gently placed a large bandage with flowers over her granddaughter's purple nose. "Augustus's mother said he claimed you started it."

"No I didn't!" She protested. "I was reading my book, and one of his dumb friends kicked the ball into my head!"

"Don't call them dumb." Dorothy said sternly.

"You said if they hit me, I should hit them back. And I did."

"I know. But I should have been clearer: it's better to hit back if your life is in danger. If you're hit by a ball, don't kick it back at them. You might hurt someone."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"You could have climbed into the jungle-house to read. They can't get the ball up there."

Winnie felt very foolish after that conversation. But she secretly decided—and told Grinch, the next day—that if something like that happened again, they always had their trusty spitballs.

* * *

><p>Another person Winnie didn't like was Martha May Whovier. She still didn't like that she thought her clothes from New Who City weren't very fancy. But, upon suggestion from Luca, tried to look past that and become friends with the girl.<p>

Martha seemed nice at first, offering condolences to Winnie for being bullied. But there was the way she looked at her whenever they were in class.

Ever since the first day of school that year, Winnie sat next to Grinch, so it was easy to "talk" by passing each other notes when Ms. Ruewho wasn't looking. At some point, she noticed Martha would furrow her eyebrows at her, especially after she received a note from Grinch. Then, if Grinch looked her way, she would smile widely, fluttering her eyelashes.

Winnie didn't like either of these expressions. She didn't like being glared at, and her smiling and fluttering her eyelashes at Grinch made her a bit uncomfortable. When she told her grandparents about all of this, Dorothy suggested, "Perhaps she's jealous of you."

"Jealous? Why?"

"Because you're such good friends with Grinch." Luca explained. "Perhaps she likes him."

"Why can't she befriend him then? She almost never talks to him."

"Maybe she's shy." Dorothy shrugged.

But Winnie wondered if it was something else. She had seen Augustus talking to Martha, and over the next few months, they looked like they were becoming friends, despite the former being a bully. But he never bullied Martha like he did Winnie.

The little Who girl was confused. Why would Augustus pick on her and call her names, but not do the same to Martha? What made her so special?

"Maybe he likes her?" She asked out loud to her stuffed elephant. The last two Christmas presents from her parents, which took her a few months to decide to open, were a stuffed gray elephant clutching a pink flower in its trunk, and a necklace with a star-shaped pendant the size of a half-dollar coin. It was cracked in half, and each half had its own string.

At first, Winnie was very confused by this gift. Dorothy explained that it was a friendship necklace. "You keep one half, and you give the other half to your dearest friend." She explained, placing the necklace with the left half of the star around Winnie's neck. "If you both wear them, you'll be friends forever."

Winnie already knew who she was giving the other half of the necklace to.

She patted the velvet elephant's head, lips pursed in thought. Though she was smart, she was still a seven-year-old girl, who barely knew a thing about romance, save for in movies and books, and seeing real-life couples, including her parents and grandparents. But she wondered if Augustus liked Martha, if that was why she was becoming friends with him.

"If she's becoming his friend, maybe she doesn't talk with Grinch much because Disgustus doesn't like him. And she wants to be cool…that's dumb." She wrinkled her nose. She felt a little hurt that Martha, who she was trying to make friends with, was befriending her enemy, but didn't let it get her down. She still had her best friend.

"I'm gonna give him the friendship necklace tomorrow." She decided. "I hope he likes it." She kissed her elephant's forehead, snuggled down in her bed, and pulled the covers over her shoulder. She soon fell into dreamland.

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><p>The next day, just after lunch, Winnie grabbed Grinch's hand and pulled him to the jungle-house. "What do you want?" He asked.<p>

She knew he wasn't being mean. "I wanna give you something." She said, showing him her necklace. "This was Mama's last Christmas present to me. Grandma said it's half of a friendship necklace. The other half sticks to it to make a star." She pulled the other one out of her pocket and showed him. "She said I keep one, and give the other one to my bestest friend—that's you. So, we'll be friends forever."

Grinch was very close to saying that necklaces were too girly. But then he gave the last sentence a thought. _So, we'll be friends forever._

Winnie was his only friend; she was his best friend, in fact. And he knew she wouldn't stop being friends with him. But it never hurt to be sure. "Okay." He nodded.

Giggling happily, Winnie moved so she was behind him, and placed the necklace around his neck, just like Dorothy showed string was mostly hidden in his thick green fur, but the golden and blue star half shined brightly. "Now we'll be best friends forever!" She cheered, hugging Grinch.

He smiled softly, hugging her back. It felt good having a friend, even if he had to wear a "girly" necklace.

* * *

><p><strong>AN This chapter's mostly more insight on Winnie's days in school at Whoville.**

**I'm trying to make Winnie the type of character who will definitely defend herself (her pic on DeviantART says she's known for slapping hard enough to bruise when she's an adult) but at the same time, isn't violent. If she's not being picked on, therefore needing to defend herself, she's very docile.**

**The stuffed elephant Winnie has is actually a stuffed animal version of a canon character. I'm not saying who ones said character, because it'll be too easy to guess, but it should be fairly easy anyway ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

**lexigirl23: Thanks :) I'm glad you like Winnie so far. The classroom incident is actually in this chapter; this story will go through the movie and beyond, so it'll definitely have Cindy Lou and Max ;)**

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><p>Eventually, it was two days before Christmas. Unknown to Winnie, until last week, was that on Christmas Eve, the kids gave gifts for "that special someone," as Ms. Ruewho called it. Winnie felt it was more like Valentine's Day than Christmas, but didn't say so.<p>

She already knew who she was going to get a gift for. She snuck a glance over to her friend, who was busy scribbling something on a piece of paper, snickering to himself. He folded up the picture, and when the teacher turned her back, tossed it onto Winnie's lap.

She opened the paper and snickered: it was a picture of Santa's sleigh being hit and destroyed by a rocket, and the injured reindeer parachuting to the ground, while Santa flew away, yelling. She refolded the paper and slipped it into her coat pocket. She enjoyed Grinch's pictures, even if they were a bit morbid; Winnie herself couldn't draw very well.

She looked further past him and spied Martha, who was leaning on her stack of books in front of her, smiling and batting her eyelashes, licking a lollipop.

Winnie wrinkled her nose at the Who girl, who returned the small glare. The two girls had become rivals during the school year. While Martha liked batting her eyelashes at the boys—mostly Grinch or Augustus—Winnie loved learning, and paid as much attention in class as she could. Though she still passed notes with her best friend on occasion.

As class ended, and everyone left, she heard Augustus sneer at Grinch from behind her, "You don't have a chance with her, you're eight years old and you have a beard!"

Winnie paused and glared over her shoulder as the other students laughed. "Shut up, Disgustus!"

"_You_ shut up, Horsey." Augustus sniffed, pushing her aside as he left. She stumbled a little, but grabbed a desk to keep her balance.

"Don't listen to him, Grinch." She said. "You don't have a beard."

"Thanks, Winnie." He smiled slightly.

As soon as she got home, Winnie asked her grandparents to take her shopping. "I wanna get a present for my 'special someone' for school for tomorrow."

"And who's this 'special someone'?" Dorothy asked with a sly smile.

"Hmmm…someone." Winnie rocked back and forth on her heels, hands behind her back, as her cheeks blushed.

Luka took Winnie to the store, and quickly found something good. "How's this, Winnie?" Luka asked, holding up the object.

"It's perfect!" Winnie nodded, her eyes sparkling. "He'll love it!"

"Oh, it's a 'he,' eh?" Luka chuckled.

"I…I guess." Winnie shrugged.

Her grandfather laughed again, patting the dark-red sock cap his granddaughter was wearing.

* * *

><p>The next day, Winnie was wriggling excitedly as she stood in the classroom among her classmates. She had endured the others exchanging gifts, and couldn't wait to give her own gift to her "special someone": her best friend, Grinch.<p>

She had no idea why it was so amusing that her best friend was her "special someone" to her grandparents—she figured out that they knew who she was giving her gift to. Every time it was brought up, someone laughed. When she asked why it was funny, they laughed more.

But she brushed it aside today, on Christmas Eve. She already received her own gift: a ragdoll that looked like herself from one of her few other friends, a girl with round glasses that magnified her eyes named Rudy, who enjoyed making ragdolls.

"Has everyone given their gifts?" Ms. Ruewho asked the entire class.

Winnie was about to say she hadn't when someone else interrupted, "I haven't."

Everyone looked at the coat rack. Grinch stepped out, holding something in his arms. He had a paper bag, with eyes cut out, over his head. He set the object, which was an angel tree topper made out of kitchen supplies and beads, on his desk. "Merry Christmas, Martha May." He said a little shyly.

"Why do you have a bag on your head?" Ms. Ruewho asked, sounding amused.

"Probably because he's embarrassed by that hideodorous gift." Augustus snickered.

"Shut up, Disgustus!" Winnie exclaimed. "I think it's pretty!"

"Ms. Winnie, don't call names or shout." The teacher scolded. Then, she turned to Grinch. "Mr. Grinch, please take the bag off."

He sat at his desk and gestured at the bag. "Yes, you. Take it off."

He propped a book up so his face was hidden, and then removed the bag. It was as if he didn't want anyone to see his face. "Put the book down." Ms. Ruewho said gently.

Grinch laid the book down, revealing his booted foot propped up on the desk, still blocking his face. "And your foot."

He slowly removed his foot, revealing that his face was patchy and covered in nicks and bandages. "Oh no, what happened?!" Winnie exclaimed in shock.

"Look at that hack job!" Augustus shouted. He and the other kids, except for Martha and Winnie, all began laughing. Even Ms. Ruewho covered her mouth to conceal her snickers.

"Stop laughing at him!" Winnie yelled. turning and glaring at them all. Her friends—Rudy, Helga, and Jamie—covered their mouths and managed to stop, but the other kids only laughed harder. She didn't notice Martha glaring at them as well

"Stupid present!" Winnie jumped at the shout, and saw Grinch throw the gift he made at the wall, causing it to shatter.

Everyone's laughs turned into gasps. "Stupid tree!" In a fit of strength, Grinch grabbed the Christmas tree that was in the corner and held it over his head as though it were a simple twig. "I. Hate. Christmas!" He screamed before throwing it at the opposite wall.

Everyone ran out of the school, screaming, save for Martha and Winnie, who stood by, both watching in shock. Grinch ran out of the school as well, pausing only to glance back at the two Who girls.

"Grinch!" Winnie stuffed the present she never got to give him in her schoolbag and ran after him. "Grinch, come back!" She ran out into the snow, and caught up with him. "Grinch, wait!"

Not glancing at her, he pushed her away from him and continued to run out of the town. Winnie sat in the snow and watched her best friend disappear into the falling snow. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she hugged her knees to her chest. "Grinch…come back…please come back." She whispered.

"Hey, you okay?"

She looked up to see a Who boy a few years older than her looking down at her. He had shaggy brown hair, handsome blue eyes, and a look of concern on his face.

"Um…"

"Why are you sitting in the snow and crying? You look like you've lost your best friend."

Sniffling, Winnie answered, "I did. He ran away. All the kids wouldn't stop laughing at him."

"Aw, I'm sorry." The boy held out his hand. "Want me to walk you back to the school?"

"No," She shook her head, taking the boy's hand. He pulled her to his feet. "I-I wanna go home."

"All right then. Take care, okay…er, I don't know your name." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Winnie. Winnie Whit."

"Oh, you moved here in spring, didn't you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I'm Aaron. Aaron Benson-Who. I live downtown on Whoabby street…Well, Merry Christmas, I guess." He left with his hands in his coat pockets.

After watching him disappear behind a building, Winnie picked up her schoolbag off of the ground and trudged home, feeling empty and drained of the Christmas spirit.

As soon as she walked in, Dorothy grabbed her in a hug. "Oh, Winnie," She sighed. "Your grandfather and I heard what happened. We're so sorry. Are you all right?" She let her granddaughter go and spun her around once t look her over.

"I'm okay, Grandma." She answered.

"Rose and Clarnella called," Luka said.

"Is Grinch home?!" Winnie asked hurriedly.

"No, they said he didn't come home." He shook his head, making her sigh. "Did you see which way he went?"

"No. He just ran away." She didn't bring up that she ran after him, only to be pushed aside. "He's…he's gone." More tears fell down her face. "My best friend is gone!" Breaking into sobs, she pushed past her grandparents and ran into her room, ignoring them as they called after her, and collapsed on the bed. She hugged her elephant tight to her chest and sobbed against the velvety materiel.

After that day, Christmas was a little less special to her.

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><p><strong>AN It took me a while to decide when the Christmas gift exchange in the school was. To my knowledge, it was never stated in the movie. In my opinion, I think it took place on Christmas Eve. And I also think, in this case, the term "special someone" could be translated to a really good friend/someone you like, since they're only eight years old.**

**Speaking of which, I think I said this before, but the classroom scene was where I liked Martha the least. Just the way she acted weirded me out; not so much towards the end, but definitely during the beginning of the flashback. And when she remembered Grinch's...muscles, during the present, all I could say was "You were eight years old!" I might be the only one who thinks her behavior as a kid was odd, but you can't tell me I was the only one who raised an eyebrow at her remembrance to the situation (I can't actually raise one eyebrow; only both :() If the kids were, say, in their mid-teens, I would probably understand, but they weren't even in their double-digits.**

**So, when Winnie doesn't think much of Martha's attitude towards the Grinch, that's me kind of "projecting" a bit of myself into my character (which I try not to do too much, if at all) She just thinks it's strange, and is a bit protective of her friend, since they're both picked on in school.**

**I decided I'm going to wait until later in the story (much later) to reveal what Winnie's gift for the Grinch is. I already know what it is, if you're wondering; I actually put a lot of thought into it. I just thought it'd be interesting to not reveal it yet ;)**

**So, this Aaron is actually gonna be a bit of a recurring character. I was originally going to have a randomly generated name for him, but then I remembered Grinch mentioned a couple of Who names after the flashback, one of which was Aaron B. Benson-Who (it didn't have the hyphen originally) So I thought it'd be funny to make that an actual character.**

**The next chapter's going to be another time-jump to when Winnie's a young adult; so, it's going to be a "Ten Years Later..." kind of thing.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I own only my OC and any other unrecognizable characters; the rest is owned by Dr. Seuss and Universal Studios.**

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><p><em>After that fateful day, Christmas was less special to the young Who.<br>Winnie's life had changed dramatically, though wouldn't yours too?  
>Ten years came and went, with changes both good and bad.<br>But soon, Winnie would have the best change she ever had._

Ten years indeed bring changes, both good and bad, for Winnie. She had grown from a chubby, mischievous little girl to a curvy, still-mischievous eighteen-year-old. She still had her round cheeks, freckles, button nose, and sparkling gray eyes. She had discovered a talent for putting together broken objects, even creating new objects from random pieces of junk, ranging from functional to artistic.

After the "Grinch incident," some of the students, including Augustus May-Who, were pulled from the school by their parents to be homeschooled. Winnie, however, knew her friends would stay in school, and begged her grandparents to allow her to still go to school. Dorothy and Luka didn't see the harm—especially since the children who bullied her the most weren't going to the same school any more—and allowed her.

Life wasn't the same without her best friend. Winnie often glanced forlornly at his desk, which was left untouched by the other students. At some point, the little Who-girl took the desk herself. No one said anything about it.

Even though Grinch was gone, Winnie still had her other friends, even ten years later: Rudy, Helga, and Jamie.

Rudy had red hair in tight curls, round glasses that magnified her green eyes, even ten years later, and often wore her favorite fuchsia jacket in cold weather. She worked at her mother's clothing shop, though she still made ragdolls upon request, for children and adults alike. She had the habit of studying someone for several minutes, before recommending a type of clothing, or making a doll to their likeness. Almost everyone finds this odd and creepy, though her friends are flattered by the fashion suggestions. They all had ragdolls that she made for them.

Helga had black hair that she often wore in a bun, narrow brown eyes, and often wore her favorite color of green. She was content with working with her sister, but dreamed of being a singer, often singing out of the blue. This would startle, humor, or annoy her friends and nearby strangers. She loved almost all music, whether it's loud and fast or low and slow. But she couldn't cook to save her life; her sister commented that she could burn water.

Jamie was Helga's older sister. She had reddish-brown hair often in a large, loose braid, hooded dark-blue eyes, and enjoyed wearing blue and purple. She was one of the best cooks in Whoville, and owned her own bakery, where she cooked bread, cakes, and even had a small diner. Unlike her sister, she couldn't sing, and made even birds cringe. She is always annoyed by Helga's out-of-the-blue singing, though not because she herself couldn't sing, but because it was at a bad time or was getting old and annoying that day.

Winnie loved all of her friends, and counted herself lucky that she had them, especially after Grinch disappeared. Sometimes though, she would stare off to the side in silence, wondering where her best friend was, and if he was even alive. She seldom spoke about him, but wouldn't get defensive or angry if he was brought up either.

Much to her disappointment, Augustus—whom she still secretly called "Disgustus"—was voted to be mayor. Whether this was because of his father's influence, or because everyone who attended school forgot about or didn't care about his bullying days, Winnie would never know. But she herself hadn't voted for him, and neither did her friends.

"Maybe the voting was rigged?" Rudy asked, as the four friends sipped bubbly sodas at the soda bar in the drugstore.

"Maybe." Winnie shrugged, gently spinning her soda in her glass. "I'm betting his father had a hand in it. He probably wanted his son to be mayor."

"Then Disgustus will want his own kid to be mayor." Helga added, lowering her voice at the mention of the nickname.

"I pity the woman who bears his kid."

"Even Martha May Whovier?" Jamie smirked.

"…I change my mind." Winnie decided, sipping her drink.

"You still have a grudge?" Rudy raised an eyebrow.

Winnie did indeed still have a grudge against Martha. It didn't help that the Who girl had grown into a very showy woman, who seemed to enjoy being on the arm of a famous Who.

"I'm just peeved that she acted…that way, when we were all barely in our double-digits, and didn't do a thing to stop the kids from making fun of Grinch. Not even when he gave her that beautiful gift! She just stood there."

The other girls were silent as Winnie ranted about Martha, and soon Augustus. That day ten years ago was engraved in most everyone's minds. They themselves got an earful from their friend for laughing along with the other kids, though unlike them, they were guilty. Grinch only got a few nicks from trying to shave his face; he didn't deserve to be laughed at. Only it was too late, when they realized this, to apologize to him.

Glancing at her sister, Helga said, "Um, Winnie?"

The redhead paused cursing out her childhood bully. "What?"

"We weren't going to show you this until later," She held up a piece of paper, which Winnie recognized as being from the newspaper tabloid, _Lies or Truth?_

"Girls, you know those stories aren't often true."

"The logo doesn't lie." Helga pointed out. "Maybe…just maybe," She tossed the paper onto the bar, making it slide in front of Winnie. "This time, it's truth."

Winnie looked down at the paper. The main black and white picture was very grainy, and she almost couldn't make out what exactly it was a photo of. But the more she looked at it, the clearer it became. It looked like a thin bear with long arms walking in the snow near the summit of Mt. Crumpit, the tallest mountain that was near Whoville. The title was, "Green Furry 'Who?' Creature Spotted on Mt. Crumpit." The creature had a thick fringe on the top of its head, and seemed to be glancing at the camera.

Winnie's mind shot back to a green-furred boy she once knew, who also had a thick fringe on his head. Her wide eyes stared at the picture, and her hands shook lightly. "…It couldn't be." She shook her head, though her heart begged for it to be true. "It couldn't. He wouldn't have gone up there! No one in their right mind would go up Mt. Crumpit!"

"He was running away from the village," Rudy pointed out. "Think about it. If you were upset, and running somewhere that wasn't home, wouldn't you want to be somewhere that people seldom go, so you'd be alone?"

"…Yes, that's true." Winnie nodded. She missed Grinch badly, even to this day, so she wanted it to be true, but at the same time, she told herself that it couldn't possibly be him.

"Even if he's up there, what are you expecting her to do?" Rudy turned to Helga. "Go up to Mt. Crumpit and see if he's up there? He might have been passing by. He could be somewhere else out in Pontoos."

As her friends spoke, Winnie's mind turned back to the mountain in question. Mt. Crumpit was the highest mountain that was near Whoville. Though avalanches were very seldom up there, Winnie still felt her stomach twist in nervousness when she thought of herself scaling the mountain. Ever since her parents died eleven years prior, she had a slight fear of high mountains, and a big fear of avalanches. Even a high wall of cardboard boxes falling made her heart stop in fright.

_But your best friend could be up there._ Her mind said. _He could be up there, bitter and alone, not knowing that down in Whoville someone misses him. You need to swallow your fear and get up there._

Slapping her hands on the bar, Winnie stood up, furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm going."

Her friends stared up at her in shock. "You're crazy!" Helga exclaimed.

"She and Rudy are right," Jamie nodded. "Even if he's still out there, he could be anywhere, maybe not even in Mt. Crumpit!"

"I won't know unless I go though." Winnie pointed out. "Girls…I need to know. This is the first inkling that my first Whoville friend's out there. I just…I need to know."

Exchanging glances, the other girls stood up as well. "You're gonna need a coat." Rudy said. "Even in summer, Mt. Crumpit's a hell of a cold place. I'll lend you my coat."

"Oh no, Rudy! Your lucky jacket?"

"Hey, maybe it'll give you some luck."

"You're gonna need all the luck you can get," Jamie said, crossing her arms. "Rudy's right, it's freezing up there."

"Don't scare her, sis." Helga said, shoving her playfully. "Don't listen to her, Winnie. With Rudy's coat, _you will survive! Oh, as long as you know how to love_—"

"Helga," Jamie deadpanned. "Not really the time."

"Sorry."

* * *

><p>Winnie pulled on her friend's coat and zipped it up, immediately feeling very warm in the summer heat. Sighing, she touched the half-star necklace that she still wore, even after over ten years. She still remembered Dorothy telling her that if she and her best friend wore their necklaces, they would remain best friends forever.<p>

"I wonder if he still has it." She whispered. She glanced at the wall, smiling at the tatty picture of Santa's sleigh falling to the ground and injured reindeer, taped on the wall in her room. Her stuffed elephant was on her dresser, and Grinch's "Special Someone" present was on a small desk in her closet, still wrapped after ten years. These, including her childish-looking necklace, were all memorabilia from her childhood.

Winnie still lived in her grandparents' house, even after her grandmother died of old age, and her grandfather lived in Whoville's retirement home. Luka, being confined to a wheelchair, convinced Winnie to admit him to the retirement home, saying she needed to be a free adult. "I'll be fine. I talked to my friends, who live there. They say it's like paradise." He said.

She finally smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll visit you every day."

"That's a little excessive," He chuckled. "How about once a week?"

"All right. If I can't make it, I'll call or write instead."

"Deal."

Winnie kept to her promise of visiting Luka once a week. When she was unable to—she was busy with work at the Fix-it-Fred Junkshop or sick—she talked to him on the phone instead.

Tonight, she talked to him again, telling him about the tabloid. "I saw it too," He said. "I wonder if Clarnella and Rose did." The spinster sisters were living at their home instead of the retirement home.

"It's strange, I really want it to be him…but at the same time, I'm telling myself it could easily not be him. I don't want to be disappointed."

"I know, sugarplum. If you feel you need to go…be careful. Mt. Crumpit is a high mountain, and is cold, even in summer."

"I know, Grandpa."

Finally, late that afternoon, Winnie found herself at the foot of Mt. Crumpit. She gulped nervously, staring up at the wave-shaped mountain. Snow sat on the summit all year round, and no vegetation was to be seen.

Taking a deep breath, Winnie began climbing. She was wearing gloves with pads, and thickly-treaded boots, as well as Rudy's lucky coat. She gripped the rocks so tightly, her fingers began to ache, and she had to chant under her breath, "Don't look down. Don't look down."

When she was about halfway up the mountain, she looked out of the corner of her eye, nearly screaming. Whoville looked tiny down below, and she wasn't even at the top. Gulping, she turned her eyes back forward and continued to climb, keeping her eye out for any green-furred Who-like creatures.

When she was three-fourths up the mountain, to her surprise, Winnie found a large wooden door in the mountain, with a smaller door in the middle and at the bottom.

She scratched her dry orange hair under her red hat, raising a thin eyebrow. She slowly approached the door, glancing around. She raised her fist, and after hesitating, knocked three times. No one answered, but when she turned the knob, to her surprise, it turned easily. She pushed it open, finding the inside dark, and surprisingly warm.

Winnie took a flashlight out of her pocket and turned it on, and shined it inside. It looked just like a rocky cave, with stalactites and stalagmites. But there were some Who-made contraptions in there as well, both on the floor she was on and the floor below. When she shined the flashlight down, she saw some furniture. On the floor she was on, she saw a large generator faintly glowing.

It was eerily quiet. When one imagines an abandoned rocky cave, they imagine the echoes of water dripping and wind whistling through. But there was none of that. There was no sound at all, save for her own quiet breathing.

This cave wasn't abandoned after all. Someone was living here. But who? Who would be crazy enough to live up here? And how long did they live up here undetected?

Behind her, a gravelly voice asked, "Max, did you leave the door open?"

Winnie jumped at the voice. She heard a small bark. "Well, _I_ didn't! That means…there's a trespasser!"

Gasping, Winnie turned off her flashlight and hurried away from the edge of the top floor. She tripped over something small, which yelped in surprise. "Stupid dog!" She whispered sharply.

"Who's there?!" The voice growled, sounding very loud in the cave. "Show yourself!"

Winnie backed against the wall, panting in fright. "I hear your heavy breathing," The voice said, sounding like it was getting closer. "You better show yourself. Otherwise…it won't end well for you."

She gulped nervously, raising her flashlight in case she needed to use it as a weapon. She gasped when she felt something paw at her leg, and squealed in fright when the dog she tripped over barked.

"Found 'em, Maxie? Where are you?" The voice approached her.

"Go away!" She whispered sharply, nudging the dog with her foot. It growled at her, and she pulled her foot away quickly, accidentally slamming it against the rock wall behind her with a pained yelp.

"There you are!" A thin-fingered hand grabbed the front of her coat and spun her around, making her scream. Dropping the flashlight, Winnie immediately grabbed the arm connected to the hand. "What are you doing here?!" The voice whispered harshly, blasting her nose with nasty-smelling breath.

Coughing, Winnie said, "I-I'm just looking for someone."

"Hah! Fine excuse _that_ it is!" The voice laughed. "What Who would be up here?"

"He's not exactly a Who, he's more of a…a…"

"A what?!"

"Exactly. He's a What. I know it sounds strange and fictitious, but he has green fur, yellow eyes, and doesn't like Christmas."

The voice didn't say anymore, but he didn't release her either. He crouched down, picked up the flashlight Winnie had dropped, and switched it on. She immediately scrunched her eyes shut at the bright light aimed at her face.

The voice finally spoke, but not in an angry tone anymore. This new tone was surprised; very surprised, "…Winnie?"

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><p><strong>AN This was a very long chapter, but I had fun writing it.**

**I had a bit of trouble writing the rhyming verse, so I hope it's satisfactory. I found a rhyming dictionary online, so that helps with choosing the words at least. I'm not Dr. Seuss, cut me some slack. I don't know what it tastes like, but just cut it anyway (reference from a YouTube Let's Play video ;))**

**I feel that after the aforementioned "Grinch incident," some parents would want their kids homeschooled, or privately tutored (you can guess who got the last choice)**

**I had fun describing Winnie's friends. I felt she should have at least a few friends, especially after Grinch disappeared for several years (I doubt he disappeared for fifty-three years, since the book said he put up with Christmas for that amount of time; he didn't look that old [then again, I'm not good at figuring out a person's age by just looking at a person] Besides, the line "for 53 years I've put up with it" was changed to "year after year I've put up with it" in the movie, so Grinch might be younger in the movie than in the book)**

**Even after ten years, Winnie still doesn't like Martha XD Martha always dressed in...showy clothes, in the movie. Look at the outfit we see her in when she's introduced, for example. Maybe it's because I'm not a Who or something, but I wouldn't be dressed in that dress; I'd have a thick coat and pants, gloves, hat, and my Slytherin scarf. I hate the cold (plus, I haven't worn dresses, or any kind of skirt for that matter, in years) Winnie just thinks Martha's a bit too showy for her taste. Plus, Martha didn't seem too disappointed that she was dating the mayor either in the movie (she DID get annoyed when he mentioned having his tonsils removed twice, but then again, he probably blabbed about it over and over, so I'd understand if that got annoying) But she only broke up with him when Grinch came around at the end. I'm getting into a rant, so I'll just shut up about her. Sorry if I rant too much about her.**

**Am I the only one who gets a kick out of looking at tabloids at the supermarket in real life? It's just funny to see stories that you know are exaggerated or completely untrue. I'm not sure if it was a tabloid that had Grinch's picture in the film (which mirrored the famous Bigfoot picture, BTW) but it wouldn't surprise me if it was. The tabloid picture in this chapter is the first glimpse Whoville has of Grinch in the last ten years, though most of the Whos take it with a grain of salt.**

**I think the**** most fun I had writing this chapter was when the owner of the cave came in. You guys probably already know who it is though ;) They'll be revealed in the next chapter. I rhymed Winnie's last sentence on purpose because I thought it'd be perfect. Plus, the small conversation between herself and the voice before said last sentence (the three sentences) was borrowed from the original movie.**


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